China has leveraged its control of the sector in trade talks with the U.S. by threatening a disruptive global shortage of the critically-needed minerals.

An asteroid just flew closer to Earth than many satellites, according to space agencies. The space object, named 2025 TF, zoomed over Antarctica at a distance of just 265 miles above the Earth's surface last Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 8:47 p.m. ET, the European Space Agency said on Monday. The International Space Station orbits at a similar altitude.